Major Contracting has always been one of your biggest accounts- until last year. A downturn in the local economy slowed both construction and renovation projects. As a result, Major Contracting reorganized its management team, including hiring a new CFO. The result? The company has been slow paying its bills for the past six months.As is customary, your company hired a collection agency to obtain late payments. The agency is now threatening to create credit-rating problems for your account if it doesn't pay within a week. You receive a call from your contact at Major, a friend of fifteen years, pleading with you to intercede on his behalf and promising to be back on track with bill payments. He tells you that Major has bids on a few big projects that should stabilize it financially within the month.You are now in an awkward position. You know that not all of these projects are firm, so Major may not be able to settle its debt in that time. You want to help your friend, but you also realize that you have a responsibility to your company and yourself—your compensation is based in part on the profitability of your territory. On the other hand, you do not want to risk losing the account and the sales that would come from these projects if they do come through. Do you try to get Major the month it needs to get back on its feet? Do you claim it is out of your hands—which to some degree it is? Is there a better solution?